Originally from Akron, Ohio, Patrick Stark, chef at Sundown at Granada, enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America fresh out of high school at 17 years of age, partially because he just wanted the get the hell outta town. He's worked throughout the United States, a few spots in Europe and had a two-year stint in Mexico. After serving as a private chef in Dallas, he's now loving his new gig at Sundown and, more than anything, his new band.

So you enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America at 17. That's pretty young.
My dad wouldn't let me graduate from high school early unless I had a career in mind.

Why such a rush to get out of high school? Minimal overhead and the food is great.
I just hated high school. I really didn't connect to that mindset much. I graduated with honors and all that, but I was a punk kid. I quit sports my freshman year and joined a band. My older brother was constantly on me to not get stuck in the town.

What was your first gig in a restaurant?
While in high school, I got a job washing dishes at a restaurant with CIA alumni. These guys were super nice and let me study on my breaks. They introduced me to music and took me to concerts and stuff. It was nice to have a mentor in that capacity. Then one Friday night, a guy didn't show up so they asked me if I wanted to work the grill, and I said sure. I ended up getting a job on the line, so, I was like, "All right, Dad, if I have to roll the dice, I'm going to be a chef."

Was dad supportive of your culinary ambitions?
He wasn't sure that I understood the industry -- the drug rate, the divorce rate, the alcohol rate. He said he would totally support me if that's what I wanted to do, but he wanted me to get a bachelors degree so that in case I didn't like it later in life, I had a safety net. And I recommend this to anyone going into culinary or any industry that has to do with art.

What was your first job or stage as a young chef?
I worked outside Chicago at the Sunset Ridge Country Club with master chef Steven Jilleba. I credit him for separating me from the boys and giving me my stripes.

How's that?
I was really young at the time and he would test my limits. The first few weeks he wouldn't even let me in his kitchen. He'd bring out these 50-pound bags of carrots, onions and celery and show me a dice cut and say, "Whenever you chop all of these you can go home." And he would come down and if they were too big or too small, he would swipe them into a stockpot and make me start over. He was testing my integrity.

We Recommend

I completely enjoyed the grill cheese with a side sweet potato fries last time I was there. Certainly looking forward to sampling something different come this Saturday prior to the Local Edge Show at Granada. As if the canoli in the green rooms weren't cause enough!

All this ass kissing makes me want to puke...Mike spends 10k a month at this puppet rag so he gets any press spin he wants...and Patrick is very sexy though he can't cook to save his life and I'd like to see that degree...CIA should take it back...he's great at prep though.

Sounds to me like someone that got canned by Stark. If you want to prove yourself, stop blogging about how good you think you are & step up. I'll pay $2k to the winner in a heads up cook off. I bet Stark wipes the floor with you...degree or no degree, you name the spot & I'll hold an open drawing for who judges. Don't Mayweather this either tomfoolery. My only interest is watching you make an ass of yourself in public. So whatchya got now?

I don't know any of the names you called out.....so no ass kissing here. I have several meals at Sundown (dine alone at the bar) and I think the food is very reliable.....I haven't been disappointed yet......the menu hits all the right notes for my bachelor dining alone nights out.

Well well well. "Chef" Mark rears his head to help his boyfriend. Your Yelp rating is two stars and you had to buy a very expensive pizza oven to get a decent product out of your kitchen. Your food is pathectic really-another posers attempt to swindle wary passers by. I could buy you ten times over mate. So put up 20k to a third party and its on! And fuck all your NY catholic boy bullshit. Texas Forever Bitch!!! Go back to New York and push your swill on those fucktards. You are not even close to John Tesar or Nick Badivinus. I wouldnt feed your shit to my dog

Travelingtomfoolery works at Taco Bell and claims to have invented Tacos Locos in a heroin induced cooking rage. Also, I heard she is extremely unattractive, hence the "tom" in her name. Dudes called her Tom all through Middle School. It drive her to eat alone under a tree and dream up terrible cooking ideas like Pink Slime Tacos.You once again prove what an idiot you are by claiming we have a whole graphic design department. I'm easily the best & only trained designer here, and I couldnt make a fake degree in under 12 hours. And I dont have that kind of time.

Oh really?? Well I take the converse pov "jon". It's also easy to just print one out or create one out of thin air. Especially when you have a whole graphic design department and what not at your disposal.

I'd face you down with one hand tied behind my back and a spanish dildo shoved up my pussy and I would still beat your kithen times and your cheesy ass thrid grade grilled cheese (really) and wraps (gay) concepts. CIA should be asshamed. Cordon Bleu al the way bitch

Impressive. If anybody visits NYC, head up to the CIA campus. It is a nice train ride along the Hudson River, the campus is idlyic, and they operate several restaurants that the students work...the food is very very good. and the buzz around the campus is pretty cool.